


Which side are you on?

by notwhatyouseeinthemovies



Category: Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Male Character, Crack Treated Seriously, Depression, Gay Male Character, Idk where this idea came from don't sue me, M/M, Medication, Mental Health Issues, Might get more tags later idk, Non apocolypse AU, OCD, Questioning sexualities, Self-Harm, like super seriously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:14:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28335237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notwhatyouseeinthemovies/pseuds/notwhatyouseeinthemovies
Summary: All is going well at the talent show, until it's not. In a matter of moments, in a few quick actions, lives can change forever. But how do you handle something so beyond what you ever thought was once possible? Can you see it through to the end?
Relationships: Tony Shepard/Arthur Savage
Kudos: 1





	Which side are you on?

**Author's Note:**

> Hey yall back at it again with another Anna fic. Its been a year since I wrote for this Fandom and also long since I wrote at all. I wish I had more of a drive to write. Luckily inspiration struck this Christmas while rewatching Anna with my family. After listening to the vinyl on repeat, especially the cut song in the theatrical release for which this fic is named, and seeing the interactions between Tony and Arthur, I wondered how it could work between these two characters, how Anna would react to the whole ordeal and how the characters would deal with this new part of their lives. 
> 
> And of course I added mental health issues to this story cause writing is mainly a huge way for me to vent and honestly, I think you could read Savage as someone struggling with intense OCD, which I have and can relate to some of his anger about things not being perfect all the time (though not as intensely as him). So if you're struggling out there and need a fic to cope I hope this helps and I hope you're doing well and staying safe.
> 
> Song for this fic's title is "Which side are you on", a cut song from the theatrical film which is absolutely brilliant. It's meant to show the divide between Tony and Savage, however I used the title to deal with the fears of rejection from loved ones for loving someone they hate, and the questioning of sexuality explored in this fic and the fear of coming out. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy, I hope to update semi-regularally, no promises cause depression is a bitch but I really hope so. 
> 
> Fic is set in an AU without the apocolypse.

As the two penguins rush off the stage and Lisa comes on in her best blue dress, Savage straightens his tie and sighs, reveling in the fact that this may be the one good performance of the night. Lisa may be a snot-nosed brat in his eyes, just another diseased teen with the intelligence of a braindead goldfish, but he knew she was a talented singer. So, this shouldn’t be too bad, right? Things started out promising, a festive song about this time of the year, but wait…is she singing about? Oh god. 

Savage tenses up as Tony nudges his arm, obviously getting the joke as well but having a much better time digesting it. Tony continues to smile at the soon-to-be-headmaster for a moment but turns away when he realizes his laughter is very much not reciprocated. The song continues as some people smile, others laugh, some shield their children’s eyes from the perverse nature of the whole routine, all the while their current headmaster claps along completely unaware of all the innuendos spilling from Lisa’s mouth.

“Filth” Savage bites out as Tony stares up at him again slightly, knowing if this song doesn’t wrap itself up soon, he’s going to hear Arthur screaming about this for the next few days until something else drives him up the wall. And yet, against Tony’s wishes, the song does not end, causing Savage to tense up further, a vein in his neck visibly bulging out in disgust.

“Pornographic, salacious, filth” Savage grits his teeth in anger as the boys on stage grind away on candy canes. Tony just sits there in anticipation of the outburst he knows will come. 

“I’m going to kill her!” Savage yells as he throws his headphones off in anger, hitting Tony’s arm in the process. 

“Hey, no need to get violent” Mr. Shepard looks over as Savage starts rummaging through his bag, before pulling out a capsule of some kind which, in his manic state, crashes to the floor, sending what looks to be pills everywhere. 

“Shit” Savage mutters as he furiously searches for the missing medication currently scattered throughout the sound booth. 

Tony sighs, knowing its likely a bad idea to get involved with this as Savage will likely only yell at him for touching his things. But then again, he might just yell at him for sitting there like a ‘pathetic oaf’ instead of helping him in his search. 

Despite the voice telling him not to, Mr. Shepard leans down and begins helping gather the scattered pills, which are white in color and a bit of an oval shape, slightly angled on the ends. Savage stuffs his pile back into the bottle before turning to Tony and realizing he’s been helping. 

“Give me those” Savage snatches them away quickly before tossing them back into the bottle which Tony can now clearly make out says paroxetine, aka Paxil. Upon noticing that Tony has seen the label, Savage stuffs the bottle into his pocket and looks away pointedly. 

“Savage…you know you can take that in front of me, right? I’m not going to judge. We all have our issues.”

“I’m perfectly fine. I’d rather you don’t question my life choices Mr. Shepard.”

Savage’s face goes pale, the shaking of his hands persists, likely experiencing a panic attack at this point. And while Tony has to deal with Arthur’s constant bullshit on a daily basis, he never wanted to see the guy suffer like this. 

“Arthur you’re shaking.” 

“I am fine Mr. Shepard! And watch your mouth! You are to call me by my surname, I am your superior!” as Savage states this, his voice raises an octave and his shaking continues to get worse, signaling a still heightened state of panic. 

“Savage, you’re shaking, please take your medication.” 

“OH, I’M SORRY. I DON’T SEEM TO RECALL YOU RULING MY LIFE. HERE I THOUGHT IT WAS THE OTHER WAY AROUND. NOW FUCK OFF AND LEAVE ME ALONE. I AM FINE!” 

Savage screeches out another harsh string of words, which completely go in and out Tony’s ear. After years of verbal abuse, Tony doesn’t take Savage’s insults too seriously anymore. Especially now that he can tell they’re coming from someone in pain. All he cares about now is getting Savage to calm down. 

“Savage, you’re crying.”

And indeed, Savage touches a hand to his cheek and it comes back wet with tears. 

“Shit” he turns away in shame as Mr. Shepard puts a hand on his shoulder, turning him back to his face. 

“Arthur, its okay to cry, you’re not weak for it.”

“I am NOT one of those little rodents out there. Always so quick to emotion and failure.”

“Arthur, emotion is not weakness. And even if you’re not okay it doesn’t make you a failure. When my…when my wife died, I was so sad all the time, and I needed help. Medication doesn’t make you weak, it can make you strong. Its strong to know when you need help. And I think you’re very strong for getting it.” 

Savage stares back at him for a moment, with a look that is almost one of consideration before his lip starts quivering and his brow furrows, looking down and breaking down into tears. 

“Hey, hey its ok. I’m here for you, I’m here.” Tony wraps his arms around the small, shaking man who once seemed so tall and composed, as if nothing could break him down. I suppose even villains have their stories.

Savage in response shockingly doesn’t push him away or yell at him for even thinking of laying his hands on him, but instead pulls him closer, crying into the shoulder of Tony’s work sweatshirt. 

“Shh, its ok” Tony whispers as he strokes soothing lines down Arthur’s blazer. 

Savage grips him tighter, sobbing into his shoulder for a bit before looking up at Tony who begins wiping some of the tears likely blurring his vision. The two look at each other for a moment, one with a face of concern, the other with a quivering lip and tired eyes, before the latter suddenly leans in and in a moment of desperation, kisses the other on the lips. 

The kiss lasts only a moment but it feels like it could have lasted an eternity in either of their minds. Savage pulls away as quickly as its begun, looking horrified as Tony stares back in shock. 

“I-I’m sorry” Savage stutters out before quickly standing up and rushing out into the hall. 

Tony takes a moment to fully recognize what’s just happened. The answer should be relatively simple, the kiss was weird and gross and not right for him, not to mention completely unprofessional, but unbelievably for Tony it’s not that easy. Not only was it not gross, it was in truth, rather sweet and it was one of the nicest things Tony’s ever felt. Sure, Tony would admit he’s had a few man-crushes in the past, Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise, Robert Downy Jr., but those were all celebrities, far out of the public reach. And even if he did have a chance with one of them, Mr. Shepard had no clue if he’d act on them or not. He’s never considered himself bisexual, but something about that kiss felt right, and he needed it to happen again just to be sure. Tony stood up quickly and exited the room following right behind Savage into the hall. 

“Arthur!” 

Tony called out in protest of him leaving and spun him around to face him. Savage muttered out half of an apology before suddenly being cut off from a set of lips upon his, this time lasting longer and deeper than the previous experience. 

Yes, the two simultaneously realized, this had been right. 

But the question remained. If this was to continue, how would he explain this to Anna?


End file.
